Chapter 56
"I get it, so let go."
Shaking off his hand, I barely managed to get up when Baek Eun-seong's golem rolled in from outside. While I was straightening my mussed clothes, Baek Ha-min, who had followed behind the golem, ran toward me with light steps.
"Uncle..."
Baek Ha-min alternated between looking at Baek Eun-seong's rumpled clothes and my disheveled hair, then bit his lip.
"Did you... perhaps fight?"
"No. Your uncle was being stubborn."
"What do you mean, stubborn?"
Ignoring Baek Eun-seong's protesting tone of disbelief, I examined Baek Ha-min's outfit. The staff would have handled it well enough, but I still checked once more if the suspenders were secure and the buttons weren't misaligned. When I nodded to signal he was all set, Baek Ha-min spread his arms and spun in place.
The white suit looked sturdy and tough, as if made from unusual fabric. It seemed like the material had undergone some special treatment. Does it double as armor? Thinking that, I adjusted the cape fluttering on his shoulders, and Baek Ha-min tilted his head.
"Uncle, why are you only wearing a tie?"
"...."
Ugh, Baek Eun-seong.
Only then recalling that I was wearing just a tie over a white tee, I took off the tie and glared at Baek Eun-seong. The staff member naturally took the crumpled tie, smoothed it out with a single gesture, and matched it with the suit I had picked out earlier.
"Would you like to try it on?"
"No."
Last time I saw, they made it fit perfectly even without trying it on. I didn't want to waste energy putting it on and taking it off.
"Then shall I ring this up?"
At the staff's question, I looked back at Baek Eun-seong.
"Aren't you getting one tailored?"
"Ah, I already have one..."
"So? Get one tailored too."
It looked like Baek Eun-seong was going to pay, but I couldn't shamelessly just get clothes for myself. I passed Baek Eun-seong off to the staff and reached out my hand to Baek Ha-min, who was doing a little bouncing dance, seemingly happy in his new clothes.
"I'm heading out first."
At those words, Baek Eun-seong, who had been following the staff with a troubled expression, looked this way. Seeing his expression asking how I could just leave him behind made me feel like I had committed some misdeed. No, is going home after finishing business really that shocking?
"Would it be okay... if you picked with me?"
"Should we, Uncle?"
"Ah, well, I don't see why not."
When I sighed and sat back on the sofa, only then did Baek Eun-seong smile softly and enter the fitting room. While waiting and playing word chain with Baek Ha-min, the staff brought out snacks. I scanned the snacks with my eyes and picked out a butter long coated with chocolate to eat.
"Uncle can eat all of these."
Baek Ha-min watched me eat intently, then picked out only the snacks I frequently reached for and slid them forward. When I nodded and ate a few more, his soft face beamed with a bright smile.
Even after emptying the snack basket with Baek Ha-min and waiting for a long time, Baek Eun-seong didn't come out. What on earth was he doing inside? I could hear rustling sounds, but not a single hair of Baek Eun-seong was visible.
Playing flower fortune-telling with Baek Ha-min had its limits too. Just as waiting was starting to become tedious, Baek Eun-seong finally appeared.
"Uh..."
"...Uncle?"
"...Hunter?"
And the moment our eyes met, it became as quiet as if all surrounding sounds had been deleted.
Was that tinnitus? After spacing out for a moment, I quickly shook off the sensation and cleared my throat while scanning Baek Eun-seong.
Baek Eun-seong, having dressed up with intent, was reasonably passable. With his always-messy curly hair neatly combed and swept back, his forehead was revealed, making me feel refreshed. Thanks to that, I could see vitality in the areas around his eyes that were always shaded by his eyelashes.
Taking off the techwear he wore like skin, his body lines were clearly revealed. Even so, the sense of intimidation I felt when he wore a cloak remained.
"Is it okay?"
Baek Eun-seong, awkwardly touching his styled hair, approached me. Reflexively taking a step back, I said whatever came to mind and nodded.
"Well, it suits you. You picked it, so we're done, right? Then we'll head out first?"
"Huh? Huh? Um, Seong Do-hyeon Hunter, wait a moment."
An inexplicable sense of urgency came over me. With the desire to flee, I hastily turned my head and body, but Baek Eun-seong blocked my path.
"Seong Do-hyeon Hunter?"
"Uh... I just remembered I need to buy something."
"Ah, then take the car."
"No need. It's a quick walk."
"Ha-min wants to go with Uncle too!"
I grabbed the hand of Baek Ha-min, who had run out after changing clothes, and hurriedly escaped outside. Was it too hot inside? Feeling the wind on my face, I could feel the accumulated heat dissipating.
"Uncle, hey. What are you going to buy?"
"...Good question."
Waiting for Baek Eun-seong must have been too tedious. My mind suddenly stopped working. In a daze, I went into the mart, bought whatever I could grab, and headed home. I didn't even have the presence of mind to notice how many worm jellies Baek Ha-min slipped into the cart.
"Oh, hello..."
When I opened the door and entered, Yang Ji-yul, who had been lying on his stomach in the living room, awkwardly bowed his head. Yang Ji-hwan wasn't visible, perhaps having gone to the party first.
While I was putting away the groceries in the kitchen, Yang Ji-yul hovered around hesitantly before coming toward me and suddenly bowing at the waist. I quickly caught his small forehead with my hand and pressed his back to straighten him up.
"Don't apologize."
"But still..."
"Your brother did wrong, not you. So you have no need to apologize, understand?"
"Yes..."
"Listen to that response. Did you do something wrong to me?"
"No?"
At the immediately cheeky response, laughter burst out of me involuntarily. I picked up the ramen packets I had thrown into the cart while shopping mindlessly.
"You haven't eaten, right?"
* * *
While the kids finished their jajang ramen and brushed their teeth, I sat with my arms crossed, lost in thought. A party for Yang Ji-hwan... There was no better day for revenge.
How should I humiliate him?
"Uncle, can we play in the yard?"
"Go ahead."
Following Baek Ha-min, who excitedly ran out blowing dandelion fluff, I was greeted by the scorching sun. I immediately sought shade from the sweltering heat, but the kids didn't seem to mind, playing by digging in the dirt.
I went back to the room and brought out hats, putting one on each small head. Then I watched the kids playing, giggling as if they were having the time of their lives.
"What kind of demonic beast appeared this time?"
"Uncle! What kind of demonic beast was it? Otto... what was it again?"
"Ottogio."
"Ottogio? That's the one you can just shut off the power, right?"
"Yeah. That's right. Now hyung is going to grind this."
"So what did you do?"
Whether they were playing house or not, Baek Ha-min was busy crushing flower petals, but Yang Ji-yul's mind was elsewhere.
Seeing how interested he was in dungeons, it seemed like taking him along once wouldn't be a bad idea... The thought of letting Yang Ji-yul experience a dungeon crossed my mind, but the problem was that Yang Ji-yul's guardian was Yang Ji-hwan.
Since healers couldn't enter dungeons, I would have to be his proxy, but I didn't even want to exchange words with Yang Ji-hwan to get permission. Direct participation would be difficult, but I still wanted to at least let him watch.
"Uncle, here's kimchi fried rice."
"Yeah."
Taking the clump of mixed flowers and dirt, I pretended to eat it before tossing it to Ashil, who was hovering nearby. Watching the golden threads mingle with the red, I jumped up at something that flashed through my mind.
"Uncle?"
"Hold on."
Something was on the tip of my mind. I was sure there was a scene in the original work where Baek Ha-min used some... elixir? Something like that.
Did Yang Ji-hwan make it? Is that why they're throwing a party to celebrate?
[Viewing Right Used]
Opening the skill window, I racked my brain to recall the contents of the novel.
"Ha..."
"Uncle, play with us too."
I don't know. I can't remember. Sighing, I plopped down next to Baek Ha-min, who was pulling my hand.
If I knew the recipe for that elixir, I could enact an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth against Yang Ji-hwan.
It was while I was sighing heavily, grinding flower petals with the rock Baek Ha-min had placed in my hand.
—Ding!
[Would you like to view the information?]
At the sudden notification, I looked up at the empty space in puzzlement. As I simply held the cabbage-like plant in my hand, system windows popped up before my eyes in succession.
[You have collected the ingredients for the Elixir!]
"Uncle, what are you doing? Grind it to make kimchi, I said!"
"Baek Ha-min."
"Yeah?"
"How did you make this?"
"Like this."
Baek Ha-min reached out and began rapidly growing the plant. I covered my mouth as I watched the stretching plant.
[Cyan Grass 100/100 Collection Complete!]
[Collection Reward, 'Elixir Recipe' Acquired!]
Holy shit!
I stopped punching the air and ruffled Baek Ha-min's hair wildly.
"Baek Ha-min, good job!"
"Hehe, Ha-min did good?"
Baek Ha-min received the praise with a puzzled face before eventually letting himself be hugged. While patting Baek Ha-min's bottom, I saw Yang Ji-yul's sullen expression over the child's shoulder. It seemed like he wanted to be praised by me too...
Don't worry, you have a job too.
"Yang Ji-yul."
"Yes...?"
"You said you wanted to go to a dungeon, right?"
"Yes!"
Enthusiastically nodding and approaching, Yang Ji-yul quickly looked around and picked up a plant from the ground. I looked at the plant that had been purified with a bright light, then put Baek Ha-min down from my lap and whispered softly.
When the child nodded, a purple plant soon began to rapidly grow.
"Can you purify this too?"
"Of course!"
When Yang Ji-yul placed his hand on the ground, the writhing plant began to shine like a white lily along with a silver light. Seeing that, I grinned and patted Yang Ji-yul's bottom too.
"Next time there's a poisoned dungeon, I'll tell Baek Eun-seong to let you come along."
"Really!?"
Yang Ji-yul hugged my neck and jumped up and down, and after calming the child down, I asked, dreaming of perfect revenge.
"Does Yang Ji-hwan know you can purify Nequam?"
"Hyung? Of course he knows."
I see.
I took a breath and suppressed the laughter threatening to burst out. I can laugh after the revenge is completely over. Unable to hide the laughter that still leaked out, I turned to look at the kids with a flushed face.
"Shall we play house until the party?"
An eye for an eye, a false accusation for a false accusation. Prepare yourself, Yang Ji-hwan.